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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated The Last Dragon in Books
Nov 18, 2019
Fort’s Continued Hunt for His Father
It’s been six months since the attack that took Fort’s father from him, but the recent hope that his father might be alive has given Fort a goal. Rescuing him is all Fort thinks about, and now he has a plan to steal the magic book he needs. But complications come from unexpected places, including a new roommate he is expected to spend all his time helping. Then there are the nightmares where the Old One promises Fort his father back in exchange for the last dragon. Can Fort find the last dragon? Should he make the trade? Or will his original plan work?
For me, it had been six months since I read the first book in this series, so it was nice to see how this book eased us back into Fort’s world without slowing down the action. I was soon caught back up in his story. I do find the tone a little darker than author James Riley’s previous books and I miss the lighter tones those books had. Still, that’s a minor complaint as I raced through this book to find out what happened next. I enjoyed seeing Fort grow and his relationship with his friends change. In fact, I found those relationships something that helped ground the book since they dealt with some stuff realistically. I will definitely be back for more. How can I not come back after the ending of this book?
For me, it had been six months since I read the first book in this series, so it was nice to see how this book eased us back into Fort’s world without slowing down the action. I was soon caught back up in his story. I do find the tone a little darker than author James Riley’s previous books and I miss the lighter tones those books had. Still, that’s a minor complaint as I raced through this book to find out what happened next. I enjoyed seeing Fort grow and his relationship with his friends change. In fact, I found those relationships something that helped ground the book since they dealt with some stuff realistically. I will definitely be back for more. How can I not come back after the ending of this book?
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
As someone new to Matcha, but who has been interested in trying recipes, I was thrilled for the chance to review this cookbook. It offers a selection of recipes, from breakfast and smoothies, to main dishes, to desserts, and even to cocktails. In addition to step by step instructions, the author also offered substitutions in some of the recipes (specifically notes where regular milk can be used, versus where it should not be).
So far have only gotten to try a few recipes, but am thrilled with the results.
As someone new to Matcha, but who has been interested in trying recipes, I was thrilled for the chance to review this cookbook. It offers a selection of recipes, from breakfast and smoothies, to main dishes, to desserts, and even to cocktails. In addition to step by step instructions, the author also offered substitutions in some of the recipes (specifically notes where regular milk can be used, versus where it should not be).
So far have only gotten to try a few recipes, but am thrilled with the results.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Between Good And Evil in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I love a mystery that wastes no time with setup and has me in suspense from page 1, and Between Good and Evil did just that. It took a bit to catch on to what was happening in Auburn Notch, but thats not a bad thing. The reader is left to piece things together as the story unfolds just as the characters are, and there is a lot going on. The characters are well formed and the descriptions very detailed. This was a good first installment, and Ill be watching for more Promise Flynn.
NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Kristin (149 KP) rated How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this story just from the cover and blurb. Although it's "middle-grade", I found it immensely enjoyable, and I laughed myself silly quite a bit. Who wouldn't want to read a young boy exploring a zombie cave and trying to find pirate treasure? I definitely wouldn't want to BE said explorer, but Mick's story is awesome, and I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it (and made notes right along with him as to what I'd need should I ever decide to pursue this adventure...).
5 stars!
I was so excited to read this story just from the cover and blurb. Although it's "middle-grade", I found it immensely enjoyable, and I laughed myself silly quite a bit. Who wouldn't want to read a young boy exploring a zombie cave and trying to find pirate treasure? I definitely wouldn't want to BE said explorer, but Mick's story is awesome, and I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it (and made notes right along with him as to what I'd need should I ever decide to pursue this adventure...).
5 stars!
Kristin (149 KP) rated Divine Merit (Divine #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. Amira is a beautiful character who really comes into her own, and Caeden is the type of man every girl dreams of: a lover, a fighter, a protector. The world of Cashile sounds like such a beautiful place, and the imagery used to describe it makes it seem so real, I can almost touch it.
I'm definitely interested in what happens following the end of this book, and I'm keeping this author on my list to keep up with in the future. =)
5 stars!
I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. Amira is a beautiful character who really comes into her own, and Caeden is the type of man every girl dreams of: a lover, a fighter, a protector. The world of Cashile sounds like such a beautiful place, and the imagery used to describe it makes it seem so real, I can almost touch it.
I'm definitely interested in what happens following the end of this book, and I'm keeping this author on my list to keep up with in the future. =)
5 stars!
The Scent of a Dream: Travels in the World of Coffee
Book
In this remarkable visual survey, internationally acclaimed photographer Sebastiao Salgado documents...
Natalie Portman recommended Cloud Atlas in Books (curated)
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals, #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
When I first read <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-prophecy-of-shadows-by-michelle-madow"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Prophecy of Shadows</a></i>, the book felt really slow. The pacing just didnt feel right and there wasnt enough action. But the series showed promise to get better (and like with any other book, theres the risk of the sequel being worse than that first book), so when I saw <i>The Blood of the Hydra </i>being available on Netgalley for request, I jumped at the chance because I wanted to see if the series would get better.
And I have to say: Wow. Despite the book has the feel of a love triangle on the horizon, <i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is more interesting - Madow incorporates more mythology (rather than the first book, when Nicole is new to the world and learning everything about it). The characters undergo a development - in the first book, theres a bit of tension and a division, yet a sense of unity, among the five witches. In the sequel, there is still tension, but that tension from the first has noticeably died down.
<i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is also more action packed than the first book. More monsters and more fighting involved - honestly, I enjoyed the sequel more than <i>The Prophecy of Shadows</i> and cannot wait to continue the series.
Side Note: I know I reviewed the third book before the second. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-pt-2-zac-brewer-amie-kaufman-meagan-spooner-michelle-madow-dawn-rae-miller-jamie-blair/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
When I first read <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-prophecy-of-shadows-by-michelle-madow"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Prophecy of Shadows</a></i>, the book felt really slow. The pacing just didnt feel right and there wasnt enough action. But the series showed promise to get better (and like with any other book, theres the risk of the sequel being worse than that first book), so when I saw <i>The Blood of the Hydra </i>being available on Netgalley for request, I jumped at the chance because I wanted to see if the series would get better.
And I have to say: Wow. Despite the book has the feel of a love triangle on the horizon, <i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is more interesting - Madow incorporates more mythology (rather than the first book, when Nicole is new to the world and learning everything about it). The characters undergo a development - in the first book, theres a bit of tension and a division, yet a sense of unity, among the five witches. In the sequel, there is still tension, but that tension from the first has noticeably died down.
<i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is also more action packed than the first book. More monsters and more fighting involved - honestly, I enjoyed the sequel more than <i>The Prophecy of Shadows</i> and cannot wait to continue the series.
Side Note: I know I reviewed the third book before the second. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-pt-2-zac-brewer-amie-kaufman-meagan-spooner-michelle-madow-dawn-rae-miller-jamie-blair/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Little Concepts: ABC French: Take a fun journey through the alphabet and learn some French! by Daniel Roode is an alphabet book introducing mostly animal nouns A-Z based on their French words with the English noun below.
The illustrations are brightly colored and in a cartoon-like style kids should enjoy. This is a fairly good intro to French vocabulary. I say only fairly good because not all of the animals have their article before them and in French you've got to know if it is le or la to say it correctly. The description says there is a pronunciation guide, but it was not included in the preview so I can't comment on it. In addition, the pages for letters I, J, K, M, Q, R, V,W,X, and Y were also not included. I hope that this gets fixed before it is published; otherwise, it is a great introduction book to French.
If you're looking for a foreign language picture book or a different kind of alphabet book, this is a visually attractive option. I would love to have this added to my classroom/ school library.
I received this ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster, Jr. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars. If it was not missing pages or information it would receive 5/5 stars.
The illustrations are brightly colored and in a cartoon-like style kids should enjoy. This is a fairly good intro to French vocabulary. I say only fairly good because not all of the animals have their article before them and in French you've got to know if it is le or la to say it correctly. The description says there is a pronunciation guide, but it was not included in the preview so I can't comment on it. In addition, the pages for letters I, J, K, M, Q, R, V,W,X, and Y were also not included. I hope that this gets fixed before it is published; otherwise, it is a great introduction book to French.
If you're looking for a foreign language picture book or a different kind of alphabet book, this is a visually attractive option. I would love to have this added to my classroom/ school library.
I received this ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster, Jr. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars. If it was not missing pages or information it would receive 5/5 stars.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Secret Garden in Books
Jul 1, 2019
A childrens classic
I'm ashamed to admit that I've never read or seen The Secret Garden. It passed me by as a child and I can understand why as i don't think the book lends itself to a younger reader with the language used. But as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this - all thanks to my Smashbomb secret Santa (book exchange).
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
